A few days ago, I harvested these "Nantes" carrot thinnings from my garden to use in a salad of greens (also from my garden, of course!). Each was the perfect length to use as baby vegetables -- about the length of my index or middle fingers.
I am definitely a fan of the more vibrantly colored carrots such as this for the interest they add to my cooking! While these little carrots would also be great steamed and served either in a ginger or brown sugar glaze, try them my favorite way:
After steaming the carrots, I add butter and whole cumin seeds, then toss them together -- so simple! The problem is that I don't really have a recipe per se. I am one of those people who cook by instinct. Even when I attempt to follow a recipe, I often find myself changing it in some way.
Here's my unsolicited advice:
When you bite into a whole cumin seed, it's such a different taste from the ground version, so substitution is NOT permissible! They are, to me, both sharp and peppery, with a "green" undertone. So, just chew a few seeds to get a feel for it before you add to your carrots. Unless you are a big fan of spice, you might find that adding whole cumin to your carrots is best as a "less is more" experience (as opposed to "the more, the merrier!") because you want the cumin to enhance the taste of the carrots, and not overwhelm.
OK - I could have said this a lot simpler: add a pinch or two!
So, the next time you are tempted to thin your carrots too soon, have patience and wait just a little bit to harvest these little edible gems! However you choose to eat them, I'm sure they'll be great!
